Posted - 02/23/2012 : 11:53:45 The IR Report - A star studded edition of the IR features Toews, Datsyuk, and Lecavalier out. Get updates on the status of Benn, Nugent-Hopkins, and Markov. Healthy returns of Green, Duchene, and JVR, and more.

New Additions:

Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks – Upper Body Injury – Day-to-DayThe Chicago Sun Times reports Toews injury is not related to a previous wrist injury, and that he has been playing through the injury recently as he has missed some practices, and morning skates. Toews is officially listed as day-to-day.

Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings – Knee – Two WeeksDatsyuk underwent arthroscopic knee surgery Tuesday morning. Wings GM Ken Holland told the Chicago Sun Times, “They took an MRI [and] saw a fragment, [They] cleaned up his ligament, and he should be ready to go in a couple of weeks. ... The doctor said after being in there that it was something that needed to be done.”

Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay Lightning – Broken Hand – Indefinitely Lecavalier suffered a non-displaced fracture in his right hand in Saturday’s game. TBO reports the injury is not serious and should not cost Lecavalier the balance of the season. He will not require any surgery or procedure to repair the break, only some time to heal. While he may not travel with the team Lecavalier will be able to continue to skate and work out to maintain his conditioning.

Cam Ward, Carolina Hurricanes – Lower Body Injury – Day-to-DayNo specific information on the exact nature of the injury but it has been giving Ward trouble lately. Ward is only listed as day-to-day for now. Without more information on the nature of the injury it is difficult to speculate if he will miss more or less time.

Mikko Koivu, Minnesota Wild – Undisclosed – Day-to-DayKoivu is back in my IR report again! He has been in and out more than any other player. The nature of his most recent injury is undisclosed but the Star Tribune suggests that is because he may return and play through the injury. Koivu has missed the past two games and Koivu did not travel with the team for an upcoming two-game road trip.

Jamie Langenbrunner, St. Louis Blues – Broken Foot – Four to Six WeeksLangenbrunner will miss at least a month with a broken bone in his left foot. He has been placed on the injured reserve and will be reevaluated in four weeks.

Rich Peverley, Boston Bruins – Knee- Four to Six WeeksPeverley has sprained right knee ligaments. He should not require surgery but will need at least a month to heal.

Peter Mueller, Colorado Avalanche – Torso – Day-to-dayGood news is his injury is not concussion related. Mueller was on the injured reserve with his torso injury but was activated on Wednesday. He is still listed as day-to-day and is unlikely for Wednesday’s game.

James Wisniewski, Columbus Blue Jackets – Groin – Day-to-DayThe Wiz has missed the last two games with a groin injury.

Mathieu Darche, Montreal Canadiens – Illness – Day-to-DayDarche left Tuesday night’s game against Dallas with “Dizziness”. Dizziness has often been described as concussion like symptoms. It is not announced if his dizziness is due to illness or a possible concussion. For now Darche is simply listed as day-to-day.

Brooks Orpik, Upper Body Injury – Day-to-DayThe nature of the injury is undisclosed. The Penguins web site reported prior to Tuesdays match that Coach Dan Bylsma said "at this time we think it's a short term (injury). It doesn't seem to be a huge problem.”

Updates:

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton Oilers – Shoulder – Day-to-DayThe Nuge is back taking practice with the team but wearing the red non-contact jersey. He has been given medical clearance to receive contact and is traveling with the team. This seems like he may be very close to being ready to come back but they are taking their time to avoid another set back.

Jamie Benn, Dallas Stars – Leg - Day-to-DayBenn is expected to return on Thursday to play against Chicago.

Sheldon Souray, Dallas Stars – Foot – Day-to-DayThe Stars may also get Souray back in the lineup on Thursday as the big defender is set to return.

Ed Jovanovski, Florida Panthers – Hand – Day-to-DayJovanovskis’ hand is healing well and he may be able to return as soon as Thursday.

Simon Gagne, Los Angeles Kings – Concussion – IndefiniteGagne has resumed skating and working out for over a week now according to the Vancouver Sun. Gagne is feeling better and said, “It’s not quite there yet . . . but it’s good to be on the ice instead of just biking,” Gagne said after skating for a fifth straight day. “It’s the type of injury I’ve been through . . . and I’ll try to be as honest as I can with myself. If something doesn’t feel right, it means I’m not ready.’’

Andre Markov, Montreal Canadiens – Knee – IndefiniteMarkov who is yet to play a game this season is making strides. He has been cleared to return to practice and will travel with the team. The Montreal Gazette reports that Coach Randy Cunneyworth said it's unlikely he will play, but he will be able to work with his teammates and familiarize himself with the team's systems.

Curtis Glencross, Calgary Flames – Knee – Day-to-DayGlencross was back on the ice on Monday before practice as he is recovering from a MCL injury. Early march is the time table for his return.

Back in Action:

Making their return to the ice last week were some key players. Mike Green returns to Washington to help get the Caps back into the playoffs. James Van Riemsdyk made a sudden and surprising return from concussion for the Flyers just in time for the trade deadline. Matt Duchene has recovered from his knee injury and returned to action for the Avalanche. Dan Cleary also returned from knee injury with the Detroit Red Wings.

Written by Peter Harling of www.Dobberhockey.com********************************************************Have an opinion on this article? Let us know. Just hit reply below and post your thoughts. Anything goes...but keep your head up. And don't foget to visit our Dobber Hockey friends at www.dobberhockey.com/********************************************************PickupHockey.com is your online hockey community. We're always looking for sharp volunteer writers. If you feel that you'd like to contribute please send us an email at admin at pickuphockey.com********************************************************PickupHockey.com and the owners of PickupHockey.com do not necessarily endorse the opinions expressed on its website of the volunteer writers. The opinions expressed here in this and other posts are solely the opinions of the writers.